Three Pie Crust Recipes

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH PIE CRUST

This is the pie crust that my mom always makes. If you like a perfect, delicious, flaky crust, this is the crust for you. As far as I'm concerned, no other crust is worth the calories!

3 C flour
1 tsp salt
1-1/4 C shortening
5 TBSP ice water
1 egg
1 tsp vinegar

Sift together flour and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles course corn meal. Beat together ice water, egg, and vinegar. Drizzle over flour mixture. Gently stir all together and shape dough into a ball. Chill at least 15 minutes. Turn out onto floured pastry cloth and roll to fit pie pan.

Yield: Pastry for 2 - 2 crust 8" pies, or 1 - 2 crust and 1 - 1 crust 9 or 10" pies.

Leftover dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to one year. Just thaw before using!


VEGAN PIE CRUST

For all you vegans out there...

1-1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C chilled safflower oil
1/4 C ice water

Mix flour and salt in bowl. Add oil and mix well with fork or hands to distribute evenly. Add ice water all at once and mix quickly to form a ball. Roll out between layers of waxed paper.

Yield: Pastry for 1 - 2 crust 8 or 9" pie.


EASY GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

For the days when you're feeling too lazy to roll out a pastry crust.

1-2/3 C graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C sugar
6 TBSP butter, melted

To make your graham cracker crumbs either throw a bunch of graham crackers in a food processor or put them in a ziploc bag and smush them with a rolling pin. Then mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until well-combined.

Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

Preheat oven to 350 F and pre-bake crust for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool before filling.

Yield: One 9" crust